


Christmas Arc

by Drones_of_Innocence



Series: The Messenger [4]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Christmas, M/M, Music, Sweet Devil, The Messenger - Freeform, U2 - Freeform, USUK - Freeform, religious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-12 07:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15335235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drones_of_Innocence/pseuds/Drones_of_Innocence
Summary: During Christmas, Arthur and Alfred visit earth to bless lonely souls, because it was what Arthur did when he was still in Heaven. Each chapter is a oneshot depicting one Christmas every time.





	1. Chapter 19: Peace On Earth

O~o~O

'Hear it every Christmas time, but hope and history won't rhyme, so what's it worth? This Peace on Earth...'

The night was cool and fresh both to the feel and to the taste; Earth was quite lovely during the winter after all. An odd combination of warm autumn colours and blinding white made up the season in most parts of the world, and everywhere people rejoiced.

Christmas was a holiday the angels adored, and not something they ever took lightly. By now, Arthur imagined, the gorgeous palaces and cathedrals in Heaven were adorned with shiny ribbons and tinsel. Messengers were rushing around, doing their jobs with bright spirits both in Heaven and on Earth, for they had contributed much to the joy humans felt. Soon they would be done, of course, and night would fall on the planet. It was tradition that the time of year became extremely festive and grand, so of course it was a shock to Arthur when Alfred informed him demons had no such celebrations.

“...You sure it’s okay if I come along?” Alfred asked him shyly, looking meek and guilty of a crime while he flew beside Arthur, half leading the way to the portal.

Arthur glanced to Alfred with a smile; he’d been smiling a lot recently, as it was his favourite time of year. He nodded to the demon warmly. “Of course it is. It is not like you would be doing anything wrong, in fact it is quite the opposite. Trust me, this will be fun. I will show you what I used to do in Heaven.”

“Oh, really?” Alfred’s bright blue eyes flashed and his expression lit up. “I thought angels didn’t go to Earth that often!”

“Well…” Arthur thought for a moment, brushing a hand through his red hair and ducking under a pipe before coming up to even with Alfred again. “Christmas is an important day. To us, at least. I would like to make it important to you, too. It is a time to be happy for no other reason than to just be happy, or in some cases, to celebrate faith. Holidays like this have all sorts of variations, and it is very fascinating. I should think you would like to help me do what used to be my job.”

Alfred grinned back at him, staying silent as they rounded the last corner together. Stopping just underneath the portal, Alfred faced Arthur with an expression of reverence. “You know, you’re a really good person, ya know?”

Frowning and tilting his head, Arthur began to perform the switching spell before they went through. “In what way?” he asked in mid-transformation.

“In...All ways?” Alfred shrugged, not even remotely surprised by the switch in forms. “You get booted outta Heaven, figure that out, decide to disassociate from the Demonocracy, and yet you still decide to do your ‘duty’. That’s pretty good. Nationless, yet determined to make everyone happy.”

“I am not nationless,” Arthur smirked and gestured for Alfred to follow him up. “I am my own nation.”

The two fell silent as they ascended, and once through, they were filled with the same sense of awe as when they first came together. Only, it was even greater; the world was dark above yet alight and shining below. It was absolutely gorgeous to look down the city streets of some unknown country and practically feel the happiness, the joy.

It was a bit cold, as they were in the sky just below the clouds where snow was falling. Before Arthur could even say anything, Alfred had struggled out of his jacket(it was quite hard to take it off while flying) and put it on Arthur backwards. He even flicked his halo when Arthur gave him an appreciative smile, and took one of Arthur’s cold, pale hands. “Where to first, Captain?” he asked.

Looking down at the Earth, Arthur appeared to survey the planet like there were signals saying where he should go. His halo and his other hand glowed briefly, a sort of inherent searching magic in him. “We will go to a place called Mexico first.” he answered eventually. “You will see what we do there.”

Summoning a magic compass and looking up at the few stars there were in the sky, Arthur found and indicated the direction they were going, and then they were off.

They flew several miles, the only evidence of the Earth beneath them being the yellow lights and other colours in the bigger towns. In some places they could even hear crowds, despite being so high in the sky. Most of the cities were quiet, homes silent and awaiting the Messenger of Christmas.

Finally, they were out in the countryside of Mexico, flying over a massive field of wheat. The only light the angel and the demon could follow was a dull porchlight from a house standing far from them, so they descended towards it. Arthur coaxed Alfred into flying low enough so they could brush their hands along the tips of the tall field.

Arthur came to a graceful landing, whereas Alfred stumbled a little. Panting, the demon jogged after Arthur, looking a little clueless. “Are we going inside? They’re all asleep, right? You’re not Santa, are you?” he asked loudly, clumsily crushing stalks of wheat while Arthur strode through it without stepping on a single plant.

“Shh,” Arthur hushed him with a smile. “Just follow me.”

The field of wheat ended, and the open area was just grass until it got to the house. Slowly walking up the steps, Arthur adjusted his tunic and pulled Alfred’s jacket further around himself before he got to the door. He brought a finger to his lips, gesturing for Alfred to stay quiet, and then silently opened the door and slipped inside.

Like all the songs say, the house was silent. The only sound was the delicate tapping of Arthur’s sandals and the slightly heavier fall of Alfred’s boots on the wood. Muffled a little on carpet, Arthur looked around the home with an unclear expression, not sure if he was sad or happy. It was decorated a little bit for Christmas, and smelt heavily of time and age. The collection of knick-knacks around the shelves and tables were a vague indication that the person who lived here was quite old.

There was a dog laying in the corner of the room, a lanky thing with big ears and smooth brown and white fur. It appeared to see them, and Arthur watched the dog with what appeared to be wonder. "Jesus..." he whispered.

Images of children and family hung along the walls of the hall Arthur led Alfred down, and the angel seemed to be searching for something. Or someone.

He came across a door and prodded it open very gently, revealing a bedroom. An occupied one, judging by the soft snoring sounds from the large bed. It was piled upon by several knitted blankets with colours Arthur could only assume to have significance to the culture here.

Arthur walked slowly inside, and Alfred followed after hesitating in the doorway.

“She is...A mother.” Arthur determined in a whisper, already well inside and beside the bed. He sensed Alfred shyly fiddling around with something imaginary behind him out of shyness, and he gingerly pulled back the covers. Immediately, he glowed with a sort of golden light while he appeared to read the worn face sleeping. “She will be spending tomorrow alone; it is quite sad, really, her children have all moved out and are out of the country by now. She has received gifts in the mail but that is it. She is…” he paused for breath, and glanced at the empty space beside her, cold and lonely. “She is a widow as well.”

“Aww.” Alfred let out sadly, suddenly brave enough to come up beside Arthur, like a tentative animal shouldering up with an older figure. “Um...What can we do?”

“We can do what we can.” Arthur replied softly, and the magic gold light from him slowly faded until his skin was pale and white from the moon. He leaned down, careful not to lose his balance, and gently pressed his lips to the woman’s forehead.

After he had stood again, Alfred leaned up against Arthur to watch the woman like he was paying respects. “...I thought you said you didn’t know what a kiss was,” he couldn’t resist making the remark, and smiled a little bit.

Glancing at him with a small laugh, showing it was alright to be happy, Arthur shook his head. “Angels do not call it a kiss.”

“Well, what do you call it, then?” Alfred teased the angel by nuzzling his cheek, making Arthur let out a slightly more audible giggle.

“A blessing.” the angel answered simply.

O~o~O

The night proved to be exhausting, for it was quite a feat to fly all over Earth seeking out the most troubled souls. They had traversed oceans, lands, and skies all over, and had been met with the same bittersweetness at every location. Eventually, however beautiful and thrilling and fulfilling it was, it had to end once Alfred noticed how weary Arthur was. “You need a Hell of a lot more sleep than I do,” he reminded the angel on their last landing. “We should start heading back.”

Arthur had resisted faintly, and insisted they fly to the city where the portal was, not yet leaving. The humans couldn’t see them, after all, so they landed to catch their breath strolled down the streets until they got to the largest attraction of them all; the city’s Christmas tree.

It glowed in both of their eyes, appealing to the childlike wonder in them and of course making the angel and the demon inexplicably happy. It was very beautiful, to have all the colours reflected in their irises while they absorbed the sight. Blind to the humans and the humans blind in turn, the winged men stood side-by-side on the eve of a wonderful day.

“There are more of them. Aren’t there?” Alfred asked in a murmur after several minutes of staring at all the pretty lights. “More of the troubled souls we visited.”

It took a moment, but Arthur finally nodded. “Millions.” he said sadly. “Millions of people. The angels have already made a big dent in the lot of them, before we got here. But there is no way we can visit and bless every single one. It is simply not possible.” he looked down and clasped his hands, both of them and his chest glowing with the magic like before. His expression looked like he could feel every single human, every bit of their pain just then, and it hurt. He could feel so much, and his heart was heavy with the grief of those who suffered this day.

Alfred turned himself and the angel so they were breast-to-breast once he noticed a slight wince, and let Arthur lean into him. “If you could…” he started to say, the rest of the question obvious as he slowly wrapped his arms around the shivering angel.

“You know I would.” Arthur answered automatically, and accepted the embrace gratefully. “...Thank you. For coming with me. And…” he fell quiet when the midnight bells rang. “Happy Christmas, Alfred.” Arthur let his feathery wings wrap around the both of them, shivering a little because of the light snow, especially because his tunic was short and thin.

“Of course, Artie.” Alfred grinned and held the angel tighter. “Merry Christmas to you too.” Without any warning, Alfred leaned back just a little, and then kissed Arthur’s bright red nose just as quickly. “Just a Christmas blessing,” he giggled.

“Mm.” Arthur agreed with a warm smile, his sadness dissipating like magic. “And a blessing for you,” he added, turning his head so he could kiss Alfred’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, guys!! So this isn't actually a 'chapter' per se, it's just a Christmas update because I've always wanted to do one XD So this kind of exists within and without the plot? If that makes sense? You guys must hate me because I used a U2 song XD
> 
> Anyway, so this is not really anything major. Just a kind of event put on the side for character development that isn't very good, ahaha ^^' The next time I update, it will be a chapter! I just had a cool idea with this song :P
> 
> Peace on Earth is a song that makes my heart hurt tbh XD It's so sad! It's where I got the idea for the woman in Mexico, and of course Jesus's input :)
> 
> "Jesus could you take the time  
> To throw a drowning man a line  
> Peace on Earth...  
> Tell the ones who hear no sound  
> Whose sons are living in the ground  
> Peace on Earth...  
> No whos or whys  
> No-one cries, like a mother cries  
> For peace on Earth  
> She never got to say goodbye  
> To see the colour in his eyes  
> Now he's in the dirt  
> Peace on Earth..."
> 
> So tell me how y'all's holiday goes! Were you blessed by a Messenger this year? CX
> 
> From Heaven and Hell and from Earth too, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! <3 I love all of you and I hope you enjoy yourselves :D
> 
> Here's to 2016!
> 
> ~Madz (Whose username changed everywhere whoops sorry forgot to mention)...(Insert Santa hat)


	2. When I Look at the World

O~o~O

It was snowing.

People all over the world were overcome with warmth and generosity, like always, giving entire nations such a lovely vibe. Music seemed to be emanating just from the sheer bliss of the young and the old, and a slight, excited tension came from anticipation for the holidays they waited for. Streets glittered with colourful lights, televisions flickered late with celebrations, and the cold could never quite get to the people who celebrated these holidays.

Well, sort of.

The day had barely begun, and all through the worlds both above and below, desolate souls whispered bitterly of their circumstance. Green eyes watched upon them with a cold look.

Alfred finally found Arthur perched high on the top a bridge, gazing into the water and feeling numb to the snow falling all around him. He rested his chin on one knee while his other leg dangled down, and his wings were angled up as if he were purposefully trying to catch as much of the freezing wind as possible. This year he had fixed his tunic so it was a little warmer, with long sleeves to cover his limbs and slippers to protect his feet. And though he had expected Alfred to find him, he didn’t expect to have the leather jacket Alfred always wore to be immediately given to him.

He looked at it for a moment, before his gaze flickered back to the water. Without a word, he accepted the offer and put his arms through the sleeves. There wasn’t a way for his giant, white angel wings to fit through the slits in the back so as usual, he had to wear it backwards. It still made him warmer that way. Alfred sat down beside him once he’d put it on.

There was a little while of silence between them. The river far below them ached and swelled, and Arthur seemed to scrutinise it very carefully like he was trying to make out some invisible text down there. Alfred looked around, up at the dull sky, the highway to their left, the vibrant city to their right. All about the world, no matter what he saw, his big blue eyes lit up with every new sight to take in.

Ever since that first Christmas they’d spent together, Alfred looked forward to seeing December on earth once again. Something had sparked in him, something Arthur could only compare to the look of wonder a child had when they saw snow for the first time. Then, if he couldn’t get any closer to being an actual child, all year he’d occasionally mention being excited for December, and as the month got closer, he’d excitedly ask Arthur to tell him more about it all.

Arthur would tell him about the traditions, and about the three major holidays celebrated as well as around a dozen others throughout the month. Then he would explain where they fit in to all of the faiths of earth. He didn’t really want to get into how they interacted with each other, so he’d avoid questions about that by suggesting Alfred do something traditional for Hanukkah or something along those lines. It usually worked, to get his mind off of world conflict, at least. Though, Alfred did still understand there was lots of religious tension in the world. He just didn’t like to think about it very much.

Alfred decided to break the silence after he got bored, which didn’t take long. “Your nose is really red. That’s how I know you’re cold.” he hummed thoughtfully. “What are you doing out here?”

Taking a big breath, Arthur didn’t move his intense stare from the water. “...I willed three people away from the edge.” he muttered in a low voice. He didn’t say anything after, letting the silence admit he’d done nothing else. Normally he’d be running around, blessing every soul who needed an angel that he could reach, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to. Not when he knew that hoping he could get everyone was futile.

Taking it in stride, Alfred nodded, seeming to consider it impressive. “Well hey, that’s three people still alive today that wouldn’t have been if we were somewhere else.”

“Three miserable people still alive.” Arthur corrected in a dull mumble.

Alfred nudged Arthur’s shoulder and laughed gently at him. “Hey, maybe you set them up on a path that’ll change the way they see life! You never know!” he told Arthur optimistically.

Arthur rolled his eyes, but tried to smile for Alfred. “Not likely.” he said to himself, following Alfred to a standing position by using his wings to balance himself on the edge. “Do you want to try?”

“Try what?”

“Blessing someone.” Arthur elaborated. “Didn’t you want to do that this year?”

A little bashfully, Alfred ducked his head a bit and his pale cheeks blushed slightly. “Oh, uh, well yea. I mean, if it’s okay, I just- that is, um, only if it’s alright, and uh if it doesn’t, you know-” he started babbling a little bit. “I don’t know if it, uh, works that way, so um-”

A chuckle interrupted him. Arthur was smiling in vague, distant amusement and ruffled Alfred’s hair. “Of course it’s alright. Let’s go, I am sure you’ll be able to bless just as I can.” His mind wasn’t on blessing, however; it was on Alfred. He looked very carefully into Alfred’s eyes and yet still seemed distracted and faraway. He tried to see what he could find in the demon’s blue eyes, as blue as the half-frozen river below them. Was there something new? Something reborn? Something taken?

He continued to search as they flew through the lands of earth. Guided by the golden compass Arthur conjured for them, they sought after souls who hadn’t seen an angel just yet. Souls who slept alone.

Alfred was very passionate about finding as many as they could, and it was as if their roles had reversed since last year; Arthur was the one following along curiously, watching Alfred very carefully and wondering, finding questions he’d never needed to ask before.

But those questions he’d keep to himself. He already knew what answers he’d get if he asked.

They found together that demons were capable of blessing, but it took a lot of concentration and a lot of help from an angel to manage it. Alfred was able to bless many different souls all across the world, but it took a lot out of him. To Arthur’s interest, the effort didn’t detract from Alfred’s determination to continue trying to get everyone he could reach. And with that kind of enthusiasm, that meant they were going for a long time.

By the time it was dark and that river had frozen over, Arthur was the one who was all spent, feeling overworked. Each time they had stopped, Alfred marveled over decorations, snow, traditions, people, music, anything in the world that had to do with the holidays. And it was exhausting. Arthur was already tired of it and ready to move on with the new year. They circled back to the bridge they had started the day on, and then moved further in the centre of the city, the heart of celebration now quite because everyone was home just in time. The midnight bells rang, signalling the start of the holiday.

He felt bad when he interrupted Alfred on a long tangent he wasn’t even listening to, something about Christmas and Santa Claus probably. But he couldn’t take much more of Alfred’s pure joy. “Oi. Sorry. Let’s be done, alright? I’m tired, we’ve gotten a lot as it is.”

The slightly hurt expression on Alfred’s face upon realising Arthur hadn’t been listening didn’t go unnoticed, but it disappeared very quickly to be replaced with a broad smile. “Hey, what’s up with you? I thought you love this holiday! Are you just not feeling it? What’s the matter?” he came closer, putting his hand on Arthur’s shoulder and looking at him with such heartfelt concern that Arthur suddenly couldn’t feel the need to lie to him like he’d wanted to.

Looking into his eyes, Arthur raised a hand to Alfred’s cheek and held it there. “What...What is it that you see?” he inquired softly. “What is it that makes you feel so much? In here…” he moved the hand down over Alfred’s heart, where it thrummed faintly as a demon’s heart always did.

Alfred was silent, but there was a peculiar warmth in his expression that encouraged Arthur to go on. Perhaps he didn’t fully understand, but he was trying to. He moved his own hand over Arthur’s.

But Arthur sighed, still looking, still searching for something in Alfred. “I don’t know what has happened. I used to feel like you, I used to love this month with equal passion and equal desire to heal the wounds of the year...But now I can’t, with or without you. What do you see? All I can see and hear and feel is suffering and it isn’t my place to change it. The worlds are cruel to everyone, and I can’t change anything. It’s not fair if I do. What do you see in the world that’s so beautiful? I can’t see what you see anymore…”

In a moment, Alfred had moved closer and embraced Arthur fiercely, as if he could convey all he felt into the angel. “I feel like I can see everything.” he murmured in Arthur’s ear. “It’s beautiful, it’s just gorgeous! I see the good in all of the people, I see the same thing a child does, I see the same thing every happy, joyful person sees. I see love and truth, I see hope and faith...And it’s just great.”

“But what about every lonely child?” Arthur asked after a moment. “What of the hatred and the lies? The wretched and the lost? Not everyone is happy on this day. Not everyone sees what you see. Not them, not me.” his voice caught with the sudden annoyance he felt, a bitter frustration towards Alfred’s ignorance, his insensitivity to the worlds. But at the same time, he felt it towards himself, for not being able to understand the other side of it too. Even though he used to.

Alfred smiled and shook his head, curling his fingers through Arthur’s wings, and then through his hair very fondly. “I don’t know how you can’t see, or how I couldn’t before...Yes, there is suffering, but...There’s also good, and where that good exists, I think it lights up some of the dark. Some of it, at least enough to keep it alive. I mean, without the dark, you wouldn’t know there were stars.”

His words only furthered Arthur’s certainty that there was something he was missing, something he couldn’t wrap his head around anymore. Something was gone, and he didn’t know how. Something in them both had changed.

He brought his hands up to Alfred’s head and gently pulled him down to his shoulder, not sure if the act was out of pity or indifference. So easily, Alfred gave into him and leaned in, and just for a moment Arthur thought he saw a glimpse of the answer. But it faded, and all Arthur could feel was a faint warmth from knowing Alfred trusted him so much. “Not everyone can see them, the stars.” he murmured. “And some don’t think they are beautiful. You still haven’t really told me what you see.”

With an affectionate lean into Arthur, Alfred then pulled back so he could look at him, and then held Arthur’s face in his hands. “It’s not really what I see as much as what I saw. And what continues to help me learn, you know?” he grinned.

Arthur frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

All he got for a moment was a silent, tender smile, but a disorganised look in his eyes. “It’s...Well, it’s you.” he shrugged. “I think you’re responsible for most of my beliefs, my dreams...Most of what I want and what I’ve learned. You continue to teach me how to see, so I think the best way to put it is I see you.”

“Me?” Arthur asked. He didn’t understand, how could he have such a heavy influence on Alfred? They hadn’t known each other for long enough...Had they? Alfred was looking at him, he knew something Arthur didn’t, but it was something he wouldn’t disclose. It was just something for him to know. Narrowing his eyes with a teasingly suspicious smirk, he prodded Alfred’s shoulder. “What’s that? I know that look.”

He shook his head. “It’s not important.” he assured. “Just a thing from when I was younger, I used to always tell myself to remember the angel.”

Arthur blinked blankly at him, and then nodded along. “Ah. I see.”

Smiling knowingly at him, Alfred nodded. “So what do you see? What do you see that makes it not yours to change?”

“I see the world.” Arthur answered simply, without hesitation. “I see everything. I feel nothing but I can see pain. I can see the imperfection, the futility, the hopelessness. Once I felt the need to change it all, but...Now I think it’s not...My responsibility. You understand? It’s not my place to change how someone feels about the world. It’s not up to me to suddenly make them decide to be happy. Not even God can tell anyone what to feel...It’s up to the person themselves. Happiness is a choice, not a circumstance.”

Alfred was quiet, looking down at the white ground, and then back up to Arthur. “So I don’t think we see that differently. There’s just...You know, different perspectives.”

“We teach each other. That’s what it is.” Arthur nodded. “That’s...The way it’s supposed to be.” he looked towards the Christmas tree, lit so innocently to the cold night. A perfect symbol of strength. He could see candles and toys, smiles, and love. He could also see snow and loneliness, and they coexisted quite starkly. Arthur realised Alfred was right; they had come to the same conclusion.

“We need each other.”

O~o~O

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back for a second Christmas special!! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza! I still have two and a half hours before Christmas is over for me so I hope I'm in time but also haha Happy Holidays in general!! I don't know all of them but I wish I did, December is the perfect time to have a holiday, isn't it?
> 
> Sorry I keep coming and going...Writing is difficult XD But it's still really fun!
> 
> I hope you're having a good holiday! And this chapter holds an important message for me...I hope it means something to you now as well. Like last year, it's a U2 song, and it's a gorgeously sad song about faith and how different people see the world. In this case, Arthur and Alfred have reversed perspectives since last year; Arthur sees the more pessimistic way a demon would, and Alfred sees the very much optimistic way an angel might. Of course, in the story there's a very good reason for that, but metaphorically, it was meant to represent two of the perspectives that mean a lot in our modern age today. There's good and bad to both sides, and neither are necessarily correct. There is no right answer for a question like that.
> 
> I could get into it more but I'm running out of time XD The song is lovely though, I hope you can listen and learn from it as I did!!
> 
> So in my life, Track season is about to start and I'm so ready! I feel stronger and more free than ever. I've also recently made a new friend, and honestly, finding someone who has a similar mind to you is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Connecting with someone is just so liberating. I hope you know someone like that, everyone deserves to know such a blessing in life.
> 
> Life! It's so wonderful and painful and I don't know what I'd do without the mountains and valleys we travel through. Christmas has never felt the same for me, and I honestly don't think I'll ever get in the Christmas spirit like I used to. There was a figure in my family who inspired it in me, but he's gone now...But it's okay, I still love Christmas as it is. No matter what you celebrate, I hope if you were sad you were blessed, and if you were happy then you helped bless others around you.
> 
> Disclaimer** I don't own Hetalia, U2, uhh my new friend, Denny's, Santa, other holidays, haha!!
> 
> The cover image was drawn by Makoyana! Y'all should definitely check her out, she's absolutely amazing!
> 
> May the cactus be with you!! Wait that's a Cross Country thing on my team XD My new favourite picture is this one of a little cactus holding Captain America's shield! Cactus America!! How cute is that XD
> 
> ~Madz


End file.
